The Only Way
by NeverDreamsOfMe
Summary: "'Don't you see? This is the only way I can save you.'" Frodos' thoughts the first time he tries to seperate himself from the Fellowship. Oneshot; sorry the title sucks.


Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.

I was watching LOTR a while ago. I saw a whole story in Frodos' eyes in the scene after the Mines where Aragorn calls to him. This is that story. Enjoy.

...

Frodo stumbled out into the blinding sunlight. It dazzled him so that he flinched and tears flooded his eyes. Frodo and his companions - called the Fellowship of the Ring - had barely survived the Mines of Moria. Down there, in the claustrophobic darkness, they had been assaulted by goblins, a cave troll, and worst of all a Balrog. _No wonder Gandalf was so reluctant to enter the Mines._

At the thought of Gandalf, fresh tears sprang to Frodos' eyes. The wizard had been one of Frodos' closest friends. Gandalf had shepherded the group across the bridge and turned back to fight the Balrog. The monster had dragged Gandalf down into the unknown deeper darkness. Frodo could clearly see Gandalfs' facial expression as he hung from the cliff: frightened, resigned, and a little sad. And then he fell...

Frodo fell to the ground himself as he choked back a sob. Gandalf didn't want to go into the mines. He had asked Frodo what to do. _I chose the Mines. It's my fault he's dead._ He struck his fist into the rocky earth in a fit of rage and grief.

_And it's all because of this_ thing _around my neck. _He nearly hit the rock again. The Ring was a mere circle of gold, but for all its' innocence, it possessed the most dangerous power in all of Middle Earth. The world would come to an end if it fell back into Saurons' hands. Frodo knew all of this. Yet he had still volunteered to carry the Ring to Mordor, under the enemy's nose, to destroy it. As the Ringbearer, Frodo had to protect the Ring. In turn, the Ringbearer had to be protected. That was basically what the Fellowship was for - to be Frodos' bodyguards, though they had become dear to each other.

But who would protect his friends? Wherever the Ring want, danger followed. _None of them are safe as long as I'm around. And look - Gandalf was killed because of me._ Frodo had never felt so helpless. What was the point of friendship if the protection they offered him couldn't be reciprocated?

With a titanic effort on account of his shaking limbs, Frodo stood up. He chose a random direction and started walking: slowly, haltingly, but purposefully. He strode past his friends spread out across the rocks. Each of them struggled seperately with their grief. Boromir stood at the mines' exit, keeping a lookout for any further danger with a pained expression. Legolas was a few feet away, chanting an Elvish song to himself. Gimli leaned his forehead on his axe, no doubt soaking it with tears from the way his shoulders were convulsing. Pippin laid on the ground in a fetal position. Merry sat behind him, rubbing Pippins' arm while his own was visibly shaking. Sam sat a distance from Merry and Pippin, head in his hands. Aragorn stood the farthest from the group. His back faced Frodo, but his head was down, hand clenched on the pommel of his sword.

Walking past all of this was heart-wrenching. How many more times would Frodo have to watch his friends cry? When was the next time they would all break down like this because another of their nine had fallen? _No one else will die because of me and the careless decisions I make. I have to leave them_, was all that the hobbit could think.

"Frodo!" The sound of Aragorns' voice made Frodo stop. The urgency in the Rangers' voice was enough to make him reluctantly turn. What he saw caused another painful twist in his breast. The Fellowship was gathered behind Aragorn, their leader now that Gandalf was gone. They looked incredibly weary but ready to move on. All of them stared at the Ringbearer with expressions ranging from pity to confusion.

_No, no, NO!_ Frodo thought. _Don't you see? This is the only way I can save you. Don't ask me to go against my heart. I wouldn't be able to bear it if I killed another of my friends._

_Please, Aragorn. Just let me go._

_..._

Short but sweet, I hope. Thanks for reading and please review! :D


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